A Day in the Life of an Early Rising Mom

I’m Ashley, part time veterinarian, full time mama to a 5 year old, 4 year old, and 20 month old. Here is a look at a fairly tame day at home. I really tried to get a “normal” day but after two disastrous tries I’m sticking with it! 5:20: I get out of bed. Normally I am up by 5, but for some reason I must have been tired this morning. I put laundry from the washer to the dryer and sit down at my computer to read my devotion and work on blog stuff.

6:00: I get the crazy idea to make some chocolate bread. This is NOT a normal part of my day; I usually do not cook anything this early if I can help it!

7:00: Bread takes longer to bake then the recipe said, so I am later getting my shower. The girls wake up, and immediately get sent back to their room to pick up while I take a quick shower.

7:20: I’m dressed and ready for the day! Daddy is up and getting ready for work (a little earlier then normal for him).

7:30: I hear “vroom, vroom,” coming from Eli’s room. He is up and trying to reach his cars from his crib. I get him up, change his diaper, and get him a glass of milk which he promptly throws because it is in the incorrect cup. Clean up milk that spilled out of the spill proof cup. Then together, we feed the cats (me in the dish, Eli into their water *sigh*).

7:50: Daddy heads out the door for work while I am getting breakfast ready. Of course we are eating the chocolate bread I made and Clementine’s.

8:00: Breakfast for everyone! Then I take Eli and get him cleaned up and dressed. I check the girls room, and of course, they have not picked anything up.

8:30: The girls get cleaned up from breakfast and dressed then we head to clean their room. They pick up while I read them a chapter from our current read aloud, “Seven Day Magic,” by Edward Eager. Eli gets out anything they try to put away but is eventually distracted by the pony train, so they can clean.Out to Play

9:00: Despite the extra messes, the room is picked up and beds are made. Since we have another snow storm headed our way I decide we should head outside now rather then wait until this afternoon! We get everyone bundled up and out the door. The girls play with the snow castle they built the day before while I pull Eli around in the sled.

10:00: Back inside we go for some hot chocolate. I get the laundry out of the dryer and sort it while the kids drink their hot chocolate and eat too many marshmallows.

10:30: We finally get started on some school work. Go over sight words, calendar, and Bible verse, and then the girls get to work on worksheets. Eli is happily playing with a ball popper.

11:00: Eli stuck a car in the ball popper and can’t get it out. I rescue the car, but he still isn’t happy. He walks around fussing and pulling anything he can get his hands on to the floor; this is his way of saying he’s hungry. Clean up the messes Eli has made and get him a couple more marshmallows.

11:15: Start on lunch. I have some leftover sweet and sour chicken, rice, and steamed veggies, so that makes lunch easy. The girls put away school work, so they have room to eat since we only have 1 table.

11:30: Lunch! Eli eats everything in sight; the girls complain they no longer like the chicken. They eat it anyway otherwise they will not be getting their choice of snack later. Everyone finishes eating and gets cleaned up for quiet time.

12:30: I read Eli some books, and put him in bed for a nap. The girls choose some books, and lay down for at least 30 minutes. While they are resting I catch up on anything I need to get done, today I wash diapers and mess around online.

1:00: Quiet time only lasted the 30 minutes today; some days I get lucky and they fall asleep. The girls emerge and fold the towels I sorted this morning.

1:30: We have a quick activity to do before Eli wakes up! We always try to do anything he needs to stay out of during nap time. Today isn’t a big deal. We are just talking about illustrators, so the worst he can do is get a hold of the dry erase marker and write on the wall again!

2:30: Eli is awake, and the girls are playing games on the iPad. Eli tries to take over the iPad.

3:00: Snack time! Today they want strawberries and graham crackers. After eating and washing hands, they have free time until dinner.

3:30: I start thinking about dinner. (I really am working on this meal planning thing, but I am not there yet.) I thaw out some meat and check to make sure I have the ingredients for my chosen recipe, Good Casserole (not real descriptive, but that’s what it’s called) and salad.

3:45: I realize we never emptied the dishwasher! Since we went outside this morning instead of doing chores it just got neglected. Girls empty the dishwasher despite Eli’s “help” (sticking all the clean silverware that he can in his mouth) while I put the diapers in the dryer.

4:15: I start dinner while the kids all play. I really try to ignore the arguments I hear and let them work it out, and luckily today they do!

5:10: The girls set the table. Dinner is ready, but Daddy isn’t home yet.

5:30: Daddy finally arrives, so it is time for dinner! Everyone eats pretty well, so after dinner they watch a movie with Daddy while I clean things up.

7:00: Eli gets a bath and ready for bed. He is obsessed with brushing his teeth and has a complete meltdown when I take his toothbrush away after ten minutes.

7:30: Daddy gets girls into bath while I read to Eli and put him in bed. Once he is in bed, I help them finish their bath and get ready for bed.

8:00: Stories and lights out for the girls; then I go start a load of laundry, start the dishwasher, and feed the cats.

8:30: Work on blog stuff a little more while Daddy is on the phone with work problems, something about a server this time.

9:00: Put laundry in the dryer and start another load before settling on the couch where Daddy is watching TV. Since I am not the type who can just sit I also use this time to fold diapers and plan something (tonight I am organizing school stuff).

10:30: Can’t concentrate anymore, so I head to bed! Thank you Ashley! Make sure to check out Ashley’s blog Life with More Babies

What is your day like? Would you like to contribute to A Day in the Life of Another Mom? We’d love to read about your day! This series will be ongoing as long as there are people willing to give us all a glimpse into their lives. If you would like to share A Day in Your Lifeplease email me your day to livinglifeintentionallyblog (at) gmail.com. Feel free to include picture (s). I will let you know promptly when it will be posted. (If you have a blog please let me know as I will include a link to your blog in the post.)

About the author

Beth Gorden

Beth Gorden is the creative multi-tasking creator of 123 Homeschool 4 Me. As a busy homeschooling mother of six, she strives to create hands-on learning activities and worksheets that kids will love to make learning FUN! Beth is also the creator of www.kindergartenworksheetsandgames.com where she shares Kindergarten spedicif worksheets,& educational ideas.